A 6th grader's take on Spreading Rumors

The publisher who is publishing my middle grade chapter book likes to have kids' perspectives as endorsements. I know a few 5th and 6th graders, so I was happy to send out an arc to them for their thoughts.

Here is verbatim what one 6th grader said in an email:
I loved the book!!! here are my first two reactions.

This book was so good it made me laugh just because!!
This book teaches you a lot of lessons. Here is the one that appealed to me. Friends are the best thing that happend to the world(at least that's what I think!!!!)

 
It gives me goosebumps to know that he enjoyed the book so much. Obviously, we'll have to do a bit of editing for the back cover, but his words were spoken from the heart.

I just had to share with you all.

Cover Reveal and Early Praise~

I'm so excited to be able to share with you the cover of my upcoming middle grade novel, Cracking the Code: Spreading Rumors.

I would love to know what you think!

When Toby Karlson, aka TK, is at the wrong place at the wrong time, he goes from cool kid to total outcast with just one hip check. Sixth grade orientation was scary, but TK didn't realize it would change his life. Now he has to hang out with the smartest and geekiest kid in school, while dodging the school bully and his posse. If TK were on the ice, he'd know exactly what to do. But this is life and not a hockey game. Can TK get his good-guy status back at fifth-grade camp?

Early praise:

“Kris Yankee’s Cracking the Code: Spreading Rumors is full of action, adventure, and fun as Toby Karlson learns how to handle enemies, make friends, talk to girls, and just plain fit in. Hockey fans will be cheering with every turn of the page as Yankee has created a winner of a series!”  

~Kari Lee Townsend, National Bestselling Author of The Fortune Teller Mysteries and Digital Diva

Blog Tour starts tomorrow!

Hey Peeps!
I've been working to set-up a blog tour. It's going well, and I'm still looking for spots - so...if you want me to stop by, let me know!

Here's my schedule so far:
Friday, Aug 5                Lydia Kang
Monday, Aug 8             Pk Hrezo
Monday, Aug 8 - 12     Susan Kaye Quinn
Wednesday, Aug 31      Laynie King
Friday, Sept 9               Gem State Writers
Friday, Sept 16             Heather Cashman
Friday, Sept 23             Chris Eboch

Sometime in December  The Teen Book Scene

I'm hoping to get a few more and will update the links as they come up.

MG...huh?

When people ask me what genre I write, I immediately answer middle-grade. The response is usually something like a smile, followed by a nod, and then a "what?"


I'm always baffled that many adults do not know what constitutes a middle-grade (MG) book. "You mean, young adult fiction, right?"

Umm...no.

I then explain that it's for readers 9-12, sometimes up to 14, but that I really stick with the 9-12 age range. That I write boy-based stories that revolve around, or involve, hockey. My audience is that reluctant reader who may or may not play hockey, but has an interest in the sport.

There's still more nodding and then I usually just give them a spiel about my stories.

Why is there such a discrepancy between MG and YA? Do parents just not understand what their kids are reading? Or, do they just classify them all as "young adult" or "kids books"?

Do they not know about The Book Thief or the Percy Jackson series? How about Diary of a Wimpy Kid or The Graveyard Book? Maybe they know about The Name of this Book is Secret or The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Surely they've heard of a certain character named Harry Potter.

What do you say when someone asks you what you write? Or if you're a parent, do you know what your kids are reading?